A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric or interesting characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones. The term is somewhat abstract and open to interpretation. While all actors play "characters", the term character actor is often applied to an actor who frequently plays a distinctive and important supporting role. In another sense, a character actor may also be one who specializes in minor roles.
A character actor may play a variety of characters in their career, often referred to as a "chameleon", or may be known for playing the same type of roles. Character actor roles are more substantial than bit parts or non-speaking extras. The term is used primarily to describe television and film actors, as opposed to theater actors. An early use of the term was in the 1883 edition of The Stage, which defined a character actor as "one who portrays individualities and eccentricities". Actors with a long career history of playing character roles may be difficult for audiences to recognize as being the same actor.
Overview
In contrast to leading actors, they are generally seen as less glamorous. While a leading actor often has the physical attractiveness considered necessary to play the love interest, a character actor typically does not. In fact, some character actors are known for their unusual looks. For example, Chicago character actor William Schutz's face was disfigured in a car accident when he was five years old, but his appearance after reconstructive surgery helped him to be distinctive to theater audiences. Generally, the names of character actors are not featured prominently in movie and television advertising on the marquee, since a character actor's name is not expected to attract film audiences. Some character actors have been described as instantly recognizable despite their names being little known. They are colloquially referred to as "that guy", or "that guy" actors, as in the 2014 documentary That Guy Dick Miller; with a prime example of a "that guy" actor being John Carroll Lynch.
Over the course of an acting career, an actor can sometimes shift between leading roles and supporting roles. Some leading actors, as they get older, find that access to leading roles is limited by their age. Sometimes character actors have developed careers based on specific talents needed in genre films, such as dancing, horsemanship, acrobatics, swimming ability, or boxing. Many up-and-coming actors find themselves typecast in character roles due to an early success with a particular part or in a certain genre, such that the actor becomes so strongly identified with a particular type of role that casting directors and theatrical agents steer the actor to similar roles. Some character actors are known as "chameleons", able to play roles that vary wildly, such as Gary Oldman and Christian Bale.
Many character actors tend to play the same type of role throughout their careers, like Harvey Keitel as tough, determined characters; Christopher Lloyd as eccentrics; Claude Rains as sophisticated, sometimes morally ambiguous men; Abe Vigoda as aging criminals; Fairuza Balk as moody goth girls; Doug Jones as non-human creatures; and Forest Whitaker as composed characters with underlying volatility. Ed Lauter usually portrayed a menacing figure because of his "long, angular face", which was easily recognized in public, although audiences rarely knew his name. Character actors can play a variety of types, such as the femme fatale, gunslinger, sidekick, town drunk, villain, hooker with a heart of gold, and many others. Prolific character actors, such as Margo Martindale, are rarely out of work, and they often have long careers that span decades. They are often highly esteemed by fellow actors.
See also
References
- ^ "Top 25: Great Character Actors". Digital Polyphony. Archived from the original on 13 May 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
...often in supporting roles - rarely are they leading men or leading ladies, and often times they're put into a certain type of role over and over again...
- Oxford Dictionaries, character actor, Retrieved 7 August 2014, "...An actor who specializes in playing eccentric or unusual people rather than leading roles...."
- Macmillan Dictionary, Character actor, Retrieved 7 August 2014, "...an actor who plays unusual, strange, or interesting characters instead of being one of the main characters..."
- ^ Foreman, Gill (2009). A Practical Guide to Working in Theatre. London, England: A & C Black. p. 8. ISBN 9780713687675.
... much less glamorous effect on their audiences ... chameleon-like ability to play a great variety of roles ... subsuming themselves into the part until they are almost unrecognisable... good character actors are rarely out of work.
- ^ 28 April 2013, The New York Acting School, Ten Best Character Actors of All Time, Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to be almost unrecognizable from part to part, and yet play many, many roles convincingly and memorably. .."
- Grove, Lloyd; Lipsky-Karasz, Elisa (13 January 2004). "Busting on the 'Cult Buster'". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
... definitions for acting are always very tricky. What is a 'character actor'? What is a 'lead'? What is 'supporting'? ... It drives me nuts...
- ^ Knox, David (4 April 2014). "Good cop, bad cop and Jack Irish". TV Tonight. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
... co-leads and cameos ... character actors. But every part plays a character...
- ^ Pockross, Adam (28 March 2014). "Jon Polito: That Guy From That Thing (Who You Definitely Know)". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
...Jon Polito: I think a character actor ... is someone off to the side ... the baddie ... the best friend. A mother role ... stuff that fills in the plot from the center of the movie...
- Stephen Tobolowsky, Discovery, What does it mean to be defined as a character actor? Archived 11 August 2014 at archive.today, Retrieved 7 August 2014, "In theater, they almost never use the term "character actor." ... leading actors have two names, like, Captain Jack Sparrow ... Richard Kimble – parts I play ...Officer Johnson"
- Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., character, n., 19.
- King, Susan (28 May 2010). "Hats off to the Wicked Witch of the West and Margaret Hamilton". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
...became one of Hollywood's most dependable supporting actresses playing, as she once described, "women with a heart of gold and a corset of steel.
- McLean, Craig (21 September 2013). "James McAvoy: 'There will be people who walk out of the cinema I'm sure". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ^ Gardner, Elysa (4 January 2014). "Jude Law's new stage: Maturing lead, character actor". USA Today. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
...one of Hollywood's most prominent rising stars ... the emergence of a great character actor ... beautiful men and women can have the public get past their looks ...
- Jensen, Trevor (28 May 2009). "William Schutz 1961–2009: Veteran character actor on Chicago theater scene". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
...When he was 5, a horrific car crash ... reconstructive surgeries followed, yet could not entirely match the right side of his face with the left...
- Lowry, Brian (23 March 2014). "James Rebhorn: Remembering the Quintessential Character Actor". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
Rebhorn worked constantly, but seldom above the marquee.
- ^ "Oh, That Guy: 15 Character Actor Villains You Love To Hate". Indiewire. 3 July 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
...oversized personalities and penchant for playing villainous goons made them unforgettable (even if you couldn't quite place their names)
- Anderson, John (11 August 2010). "Eddie Marsan, a go-to actor for 'that guy' roles". The Houma Courier. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- "Ben on Film - 'That guy' actor Lauter dies quietly". Star-News. 5 December 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- Rapold, Nicolas (2 April 2015). "Review: 'That Guy Dick Miller' Pays Tribute to a Character Actor". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- Terrones, Terry (15 November 2020). "Colorado native John Carroll Lynch on being a "that guy" actor, a Broncos fan and his new ABC series". The Gazette. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- Clarke, Donald (15 February 2021). "That Guy: The actor everyone recognises but no one can name". The Irish Times. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- Dowd, A.A. (27 September 2017). "John Carroll Lynch on playing the president, a killer clown, and the Coen brothers' warmest character". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- Schudel, Matt (22 January 2014). "Tom Quinn, boxer and character actor, dies at 79". The Washington Post. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- Butler, Mark (5 March 2018). "Gary Oldman: the 'jobbing actor' whose Oscar recognition is long overdue". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
- "Getting into Character is a Punishing Process for Christian Bale". 30 June 2022.
- "Abe Vigoda, Beloved Character Actor, Dead at 94". NBC News. Associated Press. 26 January 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
- "Character actor Ed Lauter dies". USA Today. Associated Press. 17 October 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
...long, angular face and stern bearing made him an instantly recognizable figure..
- Alvin, Klein (20 October 1985). "A Leading Character Actor". Theater. The New York Times. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
...consummate professional who evokes admiration and awe in his colleagues...
Further reading
- Quinlan, David (1995). Quinlan's Illustrated Directory of Film Character Actors. USA: Batsford Press. ISBN 0713470402.
- Voisin, Scott (2009). Character Kings: Hollywood's Familiar Faces Discuss the Art & Business of Acting. BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1-59393-342-5.
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